NNEETTWWOORRKKIINNGG NN EE TT WW OO RR KK MMAADDEE PPAAIINNLLEESSSS NN KK NN OO WW -- HH OO WW EE TT Are the machines in your office living isolated lives? • Automate household appliances and distribute digital WW Do you have a few computers at home that you want audio and video to your home entertainment center A N E S S E N T I A L G U I D E F O R T H E to connect to each other and the Internet? The best way to share files on a group of computers is to create • Troubleshoot network slowdowns and failures OO A C C I D E N T A L A D M I N a network. But how do you do that? No matter which operating system you use, and even if you’ve never installed or run a network before, you’ll RR Network Know-How is your guide to connecting your get what you need to know in Network Know-How. machines, filled with practical advice that will show you KK J O H N R O S S how to get things done. You’ll learn the nitty-gritty of ABOUT THE AUTHOR network setup, design, and maintenance, from running John Ross has worked on wired and wireless network- cables and placing wireless access points to configuring KK ing for Motorola, AT&T, and other manufacturers. He file sharing and printing. This practical and comprehensive guide will teach you how to implement security, create is the author of more than two dozen books, including NN Internet Power Tools (Random House), Connecting with intranets, and more. You’ll learn how to: Windows (Sybex), Wiring Home Networks (Sunset OO • Connect Windows, Macintosh, and Linux computers Books), and The Book of Wireless (No Starch Press). WW • Implement network addressing • Configure your network adapters, hubs, switches, CCOOVVEERRSS WWIINNDDOOWWSS,, -- and router MMAACC OOSS XX,, AANNDD LLIINNUUXX HH • Share music, photos, and documents OO WW THE FINEST IN GEEK ENTERTAINMENT™ www.nostarch.com R O “I LAY FLAT.” $29.95 ($29.95 CDN) SS This book uses RepKover—a durable binding that won’t snap shut. COMPUTERS/NETWSHELVE IN: ORKING NETWORK KNOW-HOW We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden NETWORK KNOW-HOW An Essential Guide for the Accidental Admin by John Ross San Francisco NETWORK KNOW-HOW. Copyright © 2009 by John Ross. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher. 13 12 11 10 09 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ISBN-10: 1-59327-191-3 ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-191-6 Publisher: William Pollock Production Editor: Kathleen Mish Cover and Interior Design: Octopod Studios Developmental Editor: Tyler Ortman Technical Reviewer: Mike Kershaw Copyeditors: Eric Newman and LeeAnn Pickrell Compositor: Riley Hoffman Proofreader: Rachel Kai Indexer: Sarah Schott For information on book distributors or translations, please contact No Starch Press, Inc. directly: No Starch Press, Inc. 555 De Haro Street, Suite 250, San Francisco, CA 94107 phone: 415.863.9900; fax: 415.863.9950; [email protected]; www.nostarch.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Ross, John, 1947- Network know-how : an essential guide for the accidental admin / John Ross. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-191-6 ISBN-10: 1-59327-191-3 1. Home computer networks. 2. Computer networks--Management. I. Title. TK5105.75.R667 2009 004.6--dc22 2008052768 No Starch Press and the No Starch Press logo are registered trademarks of No Starch Press, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we are using the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor No Starch Press, Inc. shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in it. B R I E F C O N T E N T S Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................xiii Introduction...................................................................................................................xv Chapter 1: How a Network Will Improve Your Life.............................................................1 Chapter 2: Types of Network Connections.........................................................................9 Chapter 3: Hubs, Switches, and Routers..........................................................................27 Chapter 4: How Computer Networks Are Organized........................................................35 Chapter 5: Designing Your Network................................................................................47 Chapter 6: Installing the Network Control Center and Ethernet Cables.................................55 Chapter 7: Ethernet Network Interfaces............................................................................69 Chapter 8: Wi-Fi Networks............................................................................................77 Chapter 9: File Servers..................................................................................................93 Chapter 10: Connecting Your Network to the Internet......................................................107 Chapter 11: Connecting Your Computer to a Network....................................................117 Chapter 12: Sharing Files Through YourNetwork...........................................................131 Chapter 13: Network Security......................................................................................151 Chapter 14: Printers and Other Devices on Your Network................................................191 Chapter 15: Other Things You Can Connect to Your Network: Audio, Video, Home Entertainment, and Beyond.................................................................................203 Chapter 16: Other Network Applications.......................................................................225 Chapter 17: Troubleshooting........................................................................................239 Index.........................................................................................................................253 vi Brief Contents C O N T E N T S I N D E T A I L ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii INTRODUCTION xv 1 HOW A NETWORK WILL IMPROVE YOUR LIFE 1 What’s a Network? ..................................................................................................2 Sneakernet ..............................................................................................................3 Data Networks and What You Can Do with Them ........................................................4 File Sharing ................................................................................................5 Sharing an Internet Connection .....................................................................6 Instant Messages .........................................................................................7 Sharing Printers and Other Hardware ............................................................7 Home Entertainment ....................................................................................7 Video Cameras and Home Security Devices ...................................................8 Home Automation .......................................................................................8 2 TYPES OF NETWORK CONNECTIONS 9 Packets and Headers ..............................................................................................11 Error Checking ..........................................................................................13 Handshaking and Overhead ......................................................................13 Ethernet ................................................................................................................14 Wi-Fi ....................................................................................................................16 Powerline Networks................................................................................................16 Other Alternative Wiring Methods ............................................................................17 DTE and DCE Equipment .........................................................................................18 Point-to-Point Networks ............................................................................................19 Ad Hoc Wi-Fi ...........................................................................................20 Infrared ....................................................................................................20 FireWire (IEEE 1394) ................................................................................21 Connections Through a Telephone Line .....................................................................21 Remote Terminals ...................................................................................................23 Clients and Servers .................................................................................................23 3 HUBS, SWITCHES, AND ROUTERS 27 Hubs and Switches .................................................................................................28 Hubs .......................................................................................................29 Switches ..................................................................................................30 LANs and WANs ...................................................................................................31 Bridges and Routers ...............................................................................................32 Combination Boxes ................................................................................................33 4 HOW COMPUTER NETWORKS ARE ORGANIZED 35 TCP/IP Networks....................................................................................................36 Names and Addresses ...............................................................................36 Network Tools .......................................................................................................41 IPConfig ...................................................................................................41 ifconfig ....................................................................................................43 ping ........................................................................................................43 TraceRoute ...............................................................................................44 5 DESIGNING YOUR NETWORK 47 Identifying Current and Future Nodes .......................................................................48 The Control Center .................................................................................................50 Home Run Wiring .....................................................................................51 Trunks and Branches: Using Secondary Switches ..........................................53 What About Wi-Fi? ................................................................................................54 6 INSTALLING THE NETWORK CONTROL CENTER AND ETHERNET CABLES 55 Connectors, Wall Plates, and Surface Boxes ..............................................................55 Ethernet Cable .......................................................................................................56 Pushing Cable Through Walls ..................................................................................57 The Control Center .................................................................................................58 AC Power ................................................................................................61 Modems, Routers, and Switches ..................................................................62 Adding a DSL or Cable Connection .............................................................64 Terminating the Network Cables .................................................................66 Adding a Telephone ..................................................................................67 Tabletop Control Centers for Small Networks .............................................................67 7 ETHERNET NETWORK INTERFACES 69 Built into the Motherboard .......................................................................................70 Setting the BIOS Utility ...............................................................................71 Adding a Network Interface to an Old Computer .......................................................72 Internal Expansion Cards ...........................................................................72 USB Adapters ...........................................................................................73 Network Adapters for Laptops ....................................................................73 Finding the Driver Software for Your Adapter ...............................................74 Status Lights on Network Adapters ...........................................................................75 viii Contents in Detail